B Is For Boy

With a monster on the loose around the base, General Ross told his daughter to go home and lock the door. No sooner is she home there is a knock at the door. Betty answers it and is surprised to see the Hulk standing there. The creature shocks her by knowing her name. Recalling that the creature was seen where Bruce Banner was last reported, Betty lashes out at the brute before her, hammering her fists into his chest and demanding to know where Banner is. The Hulk looks down at her and sneers that he hates Bruce Banner, causing Betty to faint. That's when General Ross and his soldiers arrive and train their laser sights on him. Ross orders the Hulk to put his daughter down. When the Hulk calls General Ross by name, Thaddeus is shocked to hear that the creature knows about him. The Hulk then slams his foot on the ground, knocking all the soldiers off their feet. He then gently settles Betty to the ground. When Ross threatens to kill the Hulk if he harms his daughter. The Hulk snarls that Ross is a bad man and to leave him alone and then leaps away. As Betty recovers and is determined to be all right, General Ross orders all available men and equipment to be gathered to hunt down the Hulk.

Later, Thaddeus has given his daughter a sedative to help her sleep and recalls how his daughter wanted to play baseball when she was younger. This makes him recall about how he wanted a boy and worries that because Betty looks so much like her mother, he worries that she will be just like her. He asks Betty if she knows anything about the Hulk, since he came to their home. When Betty says nothing, her father tells her to get some sleep and turns out the light. The next morning, Rick Jones is out in the desert looking for Bruce Banner. He finds Bruce sleeping in a rocky embankment and wakes him up. Initially startled, Bruce asks Rick how he found him. Rick tells him it wasn't very hard, pointing out all the wrecked military equipment strewn across the desert leading the way. When Rick offers to help Bruce evade capture from the military Bruce rejects this offer. This causes Rick to get upset, he points out that everyone in his life has walked out on him and because Bruce saved his life, Rick owes him and plans on staying until he has repaid that debt. Needing somewhere to go, Banner takes Rick to a secret cave which was going to be used to dispose of radioactive waste. Inside the cave is a massive door to an impenetrable room. There, Bruce has Rick seal him inside. Bruce tells the young man to not let him out unless he knows he is speaking with Banner and not the Hulk. Rick complies but thinks that this is a bad idea.

It's quiet for a moment, but suddenly the Hulk begins pounding on the wall, begging to be released. Rick is horrified by the amount of noise and fears that the Hulk might break free. Thinking Banner trapped him in this room, the Hulk's rage increases. However, once Rick is sure the Hulk isn't going to break free, he allows himself to slump against the wall and he begins to sob.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Doc Samson, Betty Ross, Rick Jones, General Ross

Continuity Notes

• Thaddeus Ross talks about his wife and Betty's mother. Karen Ross died of cancer while Betty was still a young girl, as seen in Incredible Hulk #291.

• Rick refers to the woman he thinks is his aunt. He is referring to Aunt Polly who has been seen in Incredible Hulk #3.

• Rick mentions how everyone he cared about have left him. He is referring to his parents who died when he was young, resulting in Rick spending his youth in an orphanage. This was first referenced in Incredible Hulk #268.